Counter culture talk courtesy of a Catholic convert.
The West crumbles but, as usual, God’s got a fix.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

The Pope on Sainthood and Intimacy With Jesus

Unless you subscribe to Vatican Information Service, you might have missed Pope Benedict’s recent sermon on saintliness which was given on November 1, All Saints Day.

If you are Protestant [maybe even Catholic], you might think that Catholics believe the only ones who are saints are those who have made it to heaven.

Not so.

The pope made it clear that "saints are not an exclusive caste of the chosen few” but include the “baptized from every age and nation who have sought to enact divine will with love and faithfulness."

Benedict XVI dispelled the myth that sainthood is dependent on extraordinary actions or charisms. “What is above all necessary is to listen to Jesus and then to follow Him without losing heart in the face of difficulties."

In conclusion, the Pope left the faithful with an exciting possibility: “the greater our intimacy with Jesus, and the more united to Him we are, the more we enter into the mystery of divine sanctity.”

Of course the entire message was contained in a freshly wrapped reminder to contemplate the shining example of the saints.